The Leaky Cauldron was as lively and chaotic as ever, filled with the usual din of clinking glasses and animated conversation. Yet today, Qin Yu couldn't shake the feeling that something in the air was off.
He kept a firm grip on Hermione's hand as they wove carefully through the crowded room, dodging bustling patrons and scattered chairs.
"You really think the Purists are coming back? Those lot disappeared ages ago, didn't they?" an older wizard muttered, his voice tinged with worry.
"Purists? They call themselves the G.A. now—Grindelwald's Army," a younger wizard chimed in. "Name's more modern, I suppose. I heard from an Auror with the Magical Congress of North America—those blokes are making a real mess of things in Brazil."
At the mention of "Purists" and "Grindelwald," Qin Yu instinctively slowed his pace. The implications were enormous.
Meanwhile, Hermione took the opportunity to gawk at her surroundings, eyes wide with curiosity. She was certain—absolutely certain—that everyone here was a wizard. She even spotted wand-like sticks poking out of pockets, which made her heart race with excitement. After all, including Qin Yu, she'd only met five real wizards so far—six, counting herself.
"Is the Magical Congress of North America trying to meddle in Brazil's Ministry of Magic business?" someone else asked.
"Heh, as if they could even keep their own house in order. Grindelwald gave them hell back in the day. But Brazil's in a right mess now—G.A.'s growing fast. The Brazilian Ministry's been begging for help everywhere, including North America. The International Confederation of Wizards is useless these days—completely unreliable. Everyone's on their own."
"Let's just hope they don't come to Europe."
"Hope all you want—they'd never pass up Europe."
"Ah… well…"
"You two ought to stop talking about this. If the Ministry hears, you'll be in trouble. Minister Fudge hates this kind of talk."
"Fine, fine, let's drink! Tom, another sherry!"
"And a butterbeer for me!"
Their conversation soon drifted to vampires and werewolves, which didn't interest Qin Yu in the slightest. He tugged Hermione along, intent on moving forward.
"Should we… say hello to them?" Hermione whispered, glancing at the eclectic mix of patrons.
"Huh? Why would we do that?" Qin Yu blinked, caught off guard.
"Well… shouldn't we try to get to know them?" she replied, a little uncertain.
For a moment, Qin Yu was at a loss. But then it clicked—this was Hermione's first time surrounded by so many wizards. She was thrilled to meet "her kind" and wanted to fit in. He couldn't help but smile at her innocence.
Honestly, she was just an adorable, inexperienced girl.
He reached out and gently ruffled her hair. "My little darling, this isn't the best place to make friends. There'll be plenty of chances later."
"Okay, I get it!" Hermione nodded, a bit embarrassed by her own eagerness.
"Hey, aren't you that Eastern boy Hagrid brought around last time?" The barman, Tom, spotted Qin Yu and called out warmly. "How's Hogwarts treating you this year?"
"It's been good—busy, but fulfilling," Qin Yu replied with a polite smile.
"Ah, school days—best years of your life! Fancy a drink? I can whip up a special 'mocktail'—no alcohol, just for youngsters."
"Maybe next time. We're in a bit of a hurry today," Qin Yu declined graciously. They really couldn't stay out too long; if they got home late, the Grangers would worry, and he didn't want Hermione lingering in a pub.
After saying their goodbyes, Qin Yu led Hermione past the bar and toward the little courtyard that served as the gateway to Diagon Alley.
But just before they reached the courtyard, a loud crash rang out behind them. Qin Yu spun around in time to see a drunken patron stumble into a table—and into a haggard-looking young man.
"Sorry—sorry—" the drunk slurred, apologizing repeatedly.
"Watch it next time!" the young man snapped, clearly irritated.
Something about his accent struck Qin Yu as odd—not quite London, not the usual British sound.
The young man bent down to gather his fallen belongings. As he did, his sleeve slipped back, revealing a tattoo on the back of his wrist: a black equilateral triangle, with a circle and a vertical line inside.
The man moved quickly, and Qin Yu only caught a fleeting glimpse of the symbol before the stranger pushed through the crowd and disappeared into the courtyard, heading for Diagon Alley.
…
Once the man was gone, Qin Yu and Hermione stepped into the small courtyard.
"Where did that man go?" Hermione asked, peering around at the rubbish bins and weeds.
She hadn't seen the magical entrance open, so she had no idea how he'd vanished.
Which meant… it was the perfect moment for Qin Yu to show off.
Setting aside his earlier suspicions for now, Qin Yu drew his wand and addressed Hermione with mock solemnity:
"Miss Granger, watch closely—I'm only going to demonstrate this once!"
"Huh? Demonstrate what? And why only once? You always repeat things when you teach me," Hermione protested, puzzled.
"…" Qin Yu was momentarily speechless. Sometimes he really wished he could silence her with a spell.
"Fine, maybe more than once. But don't blink—I'm starting now!" He took a deep breath, collecting himself.
"Mm-hmm!" The little witch's face lit up with rapt attention.
Without another word, Qin Yu tapped his wand three times against specific bricks, just as Hagrid had shown him. Instantly, the bricks began to shift and swirl, forming a tall, arched doorway.
Hermione's eyes went wide with wonder. "That's… incredible," she whispered.
Now, that was the reaction Qin Yu had been hoping for.
He took her hand and led her through the archway, stepping onto the cobbled street beyond.
When Hermione glanced back, the archway was already gone, the wall solid once more.
They walked forward, and soon the bustling crowd of wizards came into view—along with the first shop: a cauldron emporium.
Hermione dragged Qin Yu over, eager to inspect the rows of cauldrons.
"These are mostly for Potions class," Qin Yu explained. "We can buy them when school starts."
"I know, I just want to look—not buy," Hermione said, nodding seriously.
She wandered the shop, eyes alight, before leaving thoroughly satisfied.
Next came the robe shop, the owl emporium, the magical pet shop, the stationery store, the astronomy shop, the alchemy workshop… Everywhere they went, Hermione insisted on going inside for a look, even if she didn't buy a thing. She was utterly enchanted.
Only now did Qin Yu realize: no matter the era or age, there was something in the female DNA—a love of shopping that transcended all boundaries.
Of course, it helped that everything was new and magical for Hermione. Qin Yu remembered how fascinated he'd been on his own first visit to Diagon Alley.
But after all he'd experienced at Hogwarts, the magical world no longer seemed so mysterious to him. He'd grown used to it, and the shops and magical wares didn't hold the same wonder as before.
…
So, Hermione browsed and chatted her way down the street, sometimes even striking up conversations with the shopkeepers.
After a while, they reached a wizarding apothecary and stepped inside together.
"Boss, do you still have any Acromantula venom or belly bristles left?" a young wizard with wild hair asked urgently.
"Sorry, sir—the last ounce of Acromantula venom was just sold. I do have a small packet of belly bristles left, though," the owner replied apologetically.
Seeing the young wizard's disappointment, the owner added, "We do have Grimface Spider venom. It's similar to Acromantula's—would you like to try it as a substitute?"
"Sigh, Grimface Spider's not nearly as potent as Acromantula… Fine, I'll take it. Give me five ounces—no, make it half a pint. If it's not as strong, I'll just need more," the young wizard grumbled. (Note: 1 pint = 20 fluid ounces.)
"Of course!" the owner nodded. "And the belly bristles?"
"Just a pinch—I don't need much," the wizard replied.
Qin Yu and Hermione watched the transaction with interest. Once the owner had packed up the venom and bristles and collected a hefty pile of gold and silver coins, Qin Yu stepped up and greeted him by name.
"And you are?" the shopkeeper asked, eyeing the Eastern boy curiously.
"I'm Qin Yu—we've corresponded by letter," Qin Yu introduced himself with a smile.
"Qin? The exclusive agent for Hogwarts Forbidden Forest products?" the owner exclaimed in surprise.
He hadn't expected his business contact to be such a young boy. Then again, in the wizarding world, nothing was impossible—a one-year-old had defeated You-Know-Who, after all. A twelve-year-old entrepreneur was hardly the strangest thing around.
"Er, only for select magical creature byproducts," Qin Yu clarified.
Honestly, if he dared claim to represent the whole Forbidden Forest, Professor Dumbledore would have his head. Well, maybe not literally, but Professor McGonagall would definitely dock him a hundred house points.
"Oh, right, my mistake," the owner replied, winking knowingly with a merchant's cunning.
He might hint at such things to customers, but he wasn't about to advertise it openly and invite trouble.
"So, Mr. Qin, have you brought any new Acromantula venom today?" the owner asked, hopeful.
"Sorry, no new stock yet. I'm just here to show my, um, sister around Diagon Alley," Qin Yu explained.
"I see. Well, take your time—if you see anything you like, I'll give you a twenty percent discount," the owner offered warmly, though a bit disappointed.
"Thank you, sir!" Qin Yu replied.
A new customer entered, and the owner hurried over—only for the customer to complain about the price of dragon liver and storm out.
Qin Yu took his time browsing the shop, paying close attention to quality and prices—after all, this was basically his "business." He needed to know what the market wanted.
Hermione certainly wasn't bored; she dragged Qin Yu around, peppering him with questions about every odd magical ingredient she saw. It was like a hands-on lesson in Herbology and Potions.
Eventually, when Qin Yu realized he didn't recognize half the items in the back, he decisively took Hermione's hand and led her out.
Time flew by—two hours had passed in a blink.
Hermione's first trip to Diagon Alley was a delight from start to finish, but her favorite stop was Flourish and Blotts. The shelves were packed with books she'd never even heard of, some of which moved or made terrifying noises—making them all the more fascinating.
"Qin, can I read here for a while?" Hermione asked hopefully.
The second floor of Flourish and Blotts had a reading area, where customers could sit and browse.
Qin Yu thought to himself: Finally, a chance to sit down.
He nodded at once and ordered each of them a glass of the shop's signature magical fruit juice.
They settled at a window table, sipping the ever-changing juice and flipping through their chosen books.
Hermione was engrossed in A History of the Wizarding World and Magical Governing Bodies Worldwide, reading with intense focus.
Starting with a book like that—this girl's ambition knows no bounds, Qin Yu mused with a wry smile.
He, meanwhile, picked up Some Peculiar Ideas in Alchemy by a wizard from the Egyptian Alchemical Research Center.
But after a while, he found the author's ideas so bizarre—some bordering on nonsense—that when he read about using the Philosopher's Stone to solve the world's energy crisis, he nearly burst out laughing.
As if Philosopher's Stones grew on trees!
He closed the book, took a sip of juice, and gazed out the window, letting his eyes rest.
Outside, the shopfronts and bustling crowds made for a lively scene. Thanks to a well-placed Silencing Charm, the reading area was peaceful—a perfect spot to watch the magical world go by.
Hmm, this would make a great painting: "Christmas on Diagon Alley," he thought, a smile tugging at his lips.
But the smile faded as his brow furrowed.
"That's the man from the pub," Qin Yu realized.
Sure enough, a pale young wizard was hurrying past below—it was the same man he'd seen at the Leaky Cauldron.
Remembering the tattoo, Qin Yu felt a prickle of unease.
Ding!
Dear Host, beneath the calm surface of the wizarding world, dark currents are stirring. You've stumbled upon a suspicious figure and grown wary. Now, please make your choice—
[1]Play it safe and inform others of your discovery. Reward: 1,000 Galleons.
[2]Take a risk and investigate personally. Reward: Advanced Disillusionment Charm proficiency.
The system's sudden prompt made Qin Yu realize—things were about to get complicated.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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